Light dimmer



29, 1933- w. J. PENNEY 1,925,001

LIGHT DIMMER Filed July 30, 1932 :5 LEI-L id or fingers with which the 9 tain the sh" l atenied Aug. 29, 1933 rarsur oFFICE 3 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in light dimmers.

In my co-pending application, Serial No. 581,-

216, filed Decembe 15, 1931, I have disclosed a 5 light shield or diimner of the type particularly applicable or use v th the headlights of Vehicles. present invention an improvement over that type of d ner consists of the particular spacing or posi on of the holding members shield is provided whereby the shield most advantageously positioned to intersect and deflect the undesirable rays emanating from the bulb to which it is attached.

A further important improvement manifest in my present inv ntion resides in the provision and particular pc ioning of the holding members a ch cooperate with the annular grooves or desions of a conventional light bulb to main- =eld in adjusted position on the bulb and eliminate the possibility of the shield coming out of adjustment or working loose due to vibration or jar of th vehicle to which it is attached.

Other objects will be in part obvious from the annexed drawing and in part hereinafter indicated in connection therewith by the following analysis or" this invention.

This invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of parts and in the unique relation of the members. and in the relative proportioning and disposition thereof, all as more completely outlined herein.

To enable others skilled in the art to fully comprehend the underlying features thereof that they may embody the same by the numerous modifications in structure and relation contemplated by this invention, a drawing depicting a preferred form of the vention has been annexed as part this disclosure, and in such drawing, like characters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout all of the views, of which Fig. 1 illustrates my device used in connection with a conventional vehicle headlight system;

Fig. 2 is a top view of my shield, illustrating the manner in which it is applied to a light bulb;

Fig. 3 is a side view of my shield;

4 is a front View of the shell;

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail view showing the seating relation of bh rivet heads; and

Fig. 6 illustrates a aodification thereof.

In the drawing, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5 designates a shell which may be of any suitable material, but preferably of some light and highly resilient metal, such as spring steel, and sufficiently thin to eliminate breakage of the light bulbs 6 to which they are adapted to be applied, by reason of excessive weight. The inner surface '7 of the shell or disc shape to conform substantially to the contour of a bulb 6 with which it is associated, thus to shield or n the of light emanating therefrom. While it will be understood that the shell 5fmay of any desired size, it has been found more practical and conducive to better results if its area is sufiicicnt to substantially cover the end portion of the bulb 6 to its greater diameter, thus providing adequate interception area and a greater reflecting surface, the object of which will be later made apparent.

Disposed about the shell 5 in the relation shown, a and to be described hereinafter, are tapered holding members or fingers 8, 9, l and 11, respectively. These fingers follow substantially the contour of the lamp 6 in such relation as to insure ample gripping action and are of sufficient length to retain the device on the lamp as well as permitting a substantially universal adjustment about the globular part or bulge thereof. These fingers are preferably of tempered spring metal, as disclosed in my co-pending application, to, better enable them to grip the bulb to hold the shield in adjusted position thereon. The fingers may be either integral with the shell or'shield as shown in the modification illustrated in Fig. 6 or attached to the shell by rivets 13 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. In the latter case, when rivets are used, the rivets 13 extend through the shell and through the respective fingers, each of the ends extending through the shell and adjacent the inner surface of the shell being provided with heads 14.

The conventional headlight bulb 6 is provided near its tip portion with a series of annular adjacent depressions or grooves 15, 16, 17, the de pressions or grooves being spaced by intermediate annular ridges or bulges 18, 19, as indicated in Fig. 3. According to my invention, I make use of such depressions and ridges of the bulb to mount the shield on the bulb in a preferred position and at the same time to prevent unintentional displacement of the shield from such preferred position due to vibration or related causes. Thus the rivets 13 secure the fingers to the shell while heads 14 of the rivets are so arranged as to define the preferred position of the shield by seating in a definite annular depression or groove of the bulb, with the edge of the shield engaging the side of a ridge or bulge between the grooves, whereby the shield is substantially anchored in its position so defined.

In attaching the fingers to the shell 5, it will greater distance apart than are fingers 8 and 11, 9 and 10, or 10 and 11, respectively. These fingers are intentionally so spaced in order that the shield may be more readily positioned or tilted to the position shown in the drawing to better reflect the rays emanating from the bulb upwardly against the upper rear portion of the headlight reflector. When the shield is tilted as shown in Figs. 2 and S, the upper portion thereof is adjacent the greater bulge of the bulb, while the lower portion of the shield is nearer the neck of the bulb where the bulge is not so pronounced. By thus spacing fingers 8 and 9 as above described, the top edge of the shield may clear the greater bulge portion so as to engage against the side of the outermost ridge Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, the heads 14 associated with the fingers 8 and 9, respectively, are positioned near the rim or edge of the shield 5 and the heads i l associated with fingers l0 and 11 are set a greater distance from the edge of the shield. This purposeful positioning of the heads permits the heads 14 of the upper fingers 8 and 9 to seat in the annular groove 16 and the heads 14 of the lower fingers l0 and 11 to seat in the next or innermost groove 15, as shown in Fig. 3, when the shield is in its adjusted position upon the bulb. Thus the top edge of the shield is held against the sides of the outermost ridge of the bulb. When the shell is placed in this adjusted position, namely, with the heads 14 seating in grooves 15 and 16, re spectively, and the top edge of the shield is against the ridge 19, it is substantially impossible for the same to be dislodged or to come out of adjustment even by extreme vibration or jar to which it may be subjected. v

In the modification shown in 6, the rivets have been omitted and the fingers 21 are made integral with the shield 5a. In th s case projections 22 are formed, by punching or otherwise, upon the interior of the'shell 5a and in the same relation as are the heads i in Figs. 2 and 3. These projections are adapted to accomplish the same purposes are the heads described in connection with Figs. 2 and 3.

In operation it will be seen upon reference to Fig. l and as described in my cc-pending application above referred to that the device may be positioned on the 6 in various positions of adjustment, one or" which is shown. In such a placement the shell intercepts substantially all or" the direct rays from the bulb 6 while at the same time causing the intercepted rays to be reflected and diirused through the medium of the reflecting surface "i and the reflector 25 in the head lamp casing .26. Obviously, also, the shell 5 aids to intercept the rays reflected by the reflector 25 at the zone of greatest light concentration, the projection of which normally gives the undesired blinding eiiec'ts. The position of the shell may be adjusted to meet various driving ccndi tions, although its position as illustrated in Fig. 3 hasfbeen found to be most desirable in cutting off the reflection of. light by substantially the lower half of the reflector.

For example, the direct rays emanating from the light source are cut off substantially on the are A as shown in Fig. l. Substantially all of the reflected rays B from the reflecting surface of the shell 5, together with the upwardly projected direct rays not coming within the arc A, strike the upper rear portion of the refiector 25 and are projected generally downwardly thereby. The rays C reflected downwardly from the mirror-like surface or the shell 5 and the down wardly projected direct rays not coming within the are A are comparatively few and strike a small sector at the rear 01" the reflector 25 and slightly below the bulb 6, from which they are projected fanwise to the front of the headlight.

While I have described my dimmer as being adjusted on the bulb to reflect the rays emanating from the bulb upwardly against the upper rear portion of the headlight, it will of course be understood that upon reversal of the dimmer the rays may be directed to any portion of the headlight as may be desired under the circumstances.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In combination with a light bulb having a plurality of adjacent annular grooves about the tip thereof and a plurality of annular ridges separating said grooves, a dimmer comprising a concave shell having a light reflective inner surface, a plurality of ringers attach d to the shell at predetermined positions thereon and operative to hold the shell to the bulb in such position that a portion of the edge of said shell engages against one side of one or" said ridges, said fingers conforming substantially to the contour of the bulb against which they are adapted to lie, a plurality of rivets attaching the fingers to the shell and having heads thereon adjacent the inner surface of the shell and spaced from the edge thereof whereby two of said heads seat in one groove of the bulb and the other heads seat in another groove thereby holding said shell in the position as aforesaid.

2. In combination with a light bulb having a plurality of adjacent annular grooves about the tip thereof and a plurality of annular ridges separating said grooves, a dimmer comprising a shell, a plurality of fingers associated with the shell at predetermined positions, a portion of the edge of said shell engaging a portion of one side of one of said ridges, and means on said shell co acting with the bulb to maintain the shell in adjusted position thereon. said means consisting of a plurality of projections on the inner surface of the shell and spaced from the edge thereof, certain of said projections seating in one groove on said bulb and the other projections seating in another groove thereon.

3. In combination with a light bulb having a plurality of adjacent annular grooves about the tip thereof and a plurality of annular ridges separating said grooves, a dimmer comprising a shell, a plurality of fingers formed integral with the shell and at predetermined positions whereby a portion of the edge of said shell engages a portion or" one side of one of said ridges, and means on said shell coacting with the bulb to maintain the shell in adjusted position thereon, said means consisting of a plurality of projections formed on the inner surface of the shell and spaced from the edge thereof whereby two of said projections seat in one groove on said bulb and the other projections seat in another groove thereon.

WALTER J. PENNEY. 

